First page drawn December first; Final page completed April sixth. FOUR MONTHS in-between … preceded by a five month stretch of rewrites.
The good news is that only two short chapters remain – a mere 67 pages – which keeps things on track to complete the book this summer.
Above’s some glimpses of the recent chapter and a shot of me laboring with hunchbacked intensity during those long winter months.
Thank you, dear readers, for sticking with me and decorating the blog with your generous comments!
Go Craig! Here in sunny Spain everyone is waiting for Habibi to come out and it looks awesome!!! Can´t wait to get my hands on it!
(By the way, I don´t know if anyone has told you this but when I was reading Blankets I kept thinking that I had a twin who had lived my exact same life, but in another part of the world!)
Wow, that is one sweet looking bottling plant, Craig.
Wow! Congratulations! It all looks so great and it’s even better knowing how close you are to finishing!
Congratulations! It’s so exciting that we could feel part of it!
hey congrats craig. im excited about reading it and thanks for letting us into your world! i hope we meet one day. dont think i’ll applying for graphic novel thing anymore, but i will come to a signing one day!
also love how your adding colour to the book pages. your blog always looks beauutiful! x
huzah! i cant wait for this. god speed in completing the final chapters!
always a pleasure to see a progress post, its so exciting to see things come together.
Looking great! I can’t wait to buy a copy. My husband and I both came from Evangelical families, became artists and thinkers, and moved on. Blankets felt like “our” story, told better than we ever could have told it ourselves. Now I, having grown up an expat in the Middle East, am excited to see what you do with that setting.
I’m an English teacher now, and I think that you are well on your way to becoming THE great writer of our generation. Thank you for pushing your talent with all those long days of work.
Congratulations, it looks beautiful!
Looking wonderful! Can’t wait to read it. It’s SO exciting!
It’s looking great and I can’t wait to read it.
Thanks for being so dedicated to creating beautiful things. It really helps to inspire those of us who are just starting out.
beautiful work as usual.
Excited to see the new book!!
Congratulations! Also thanks for keeping this blog updated. Enjoy the finishing moments!
Hey Craig..
Looks great..I always admire your work..I ‘ll wait to see if I’ll like the story as much as I like the art..
Hey..one very very annoying remark I can’t believe I’m even saying it..I noticed you used a letter that’s pronounced the same as “Z” in Arabic to give the sound of sleeping/snoring ..but in Arabic there is a letter that is always used for this sound..even used Arabic comics if it makes it more authentic it sounds more like (kh) actually it’s more accurate than (Z) hahaha..I have a link on how it looks like
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/39/Uyghur_-_Arabic_script_-_isolated_form_-_%D8%AE_%28IPA_x%29.svg/400px-Uyghur_-_Arabic_script_-_isolated_form_-_%D8%AE_%28IPA_x%29.svg.png
and that’s the letter’s page on wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E1%B8%AA%C4%81%CA%BE
ummm..was that as bothersome as I think it is?!….I couldn’t resist ..don’t hate me please!
Augh! I’m trying to keep myself occupied while I wait for this book. It gets harder and harder and harder. And one can only read Blankets oh so many times before the “amazingness” of it starts to fade.
Advance congratulations, Craig, on Habibi’s impending completion…! I recently picked up an iPad and think that this upcoming work could really drive the form of digital comics forward! Sharing your creative process on your blog with us as you have gone on this journey has been a blessing, so thanks!
Habibi looks like its turning out to be gorgeous. I am waiting with immutable anticipation to soak this up.
Congratulations!
I can’t wait to read it!
Way to go, Craig! Keep it up! Can’t wait to see the finished project!
Very happy for you to see that you find your way through the story.
I can’t wait to discover it.
I hope you will have the opportunity to come back to France soon after the book is being published 🙂
I’m so excited! I hope Habibi doesn’t take as long as Blankets did to be published in portuguese! You know you have tons of brazilians fans like myself, right? I’m constantly visiting your blog and re-reading Blankets in the meantime. Kisses!
Sorry, totally forgot… CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Congrats on Chapter 7. Keep up the good work. I can’t wait.
PS: We corresponded once briefly about using an excerpt of the Spanish version of Blankets in my class – we are finally starting it this week – I’ll let you know, as promised, how it goes.
Awesome work, Craig! I’ve loved watching your style develop and deepen over the years, and it’s a pleasure to see where it’s headed. I’m really excited for Habibi and am looking forward to shaking your hand and thanking you for your great work at Stumptown in a few weeks.
Good luck craig, keep going!
You have a fan waiting to buy the new book here in england, as soon as it comes out
Wow, does it mean this book will be colored instead of black and white? Is it a first for you? I guess it’s also going to be the first book from you that’s a complete departure from autobio. Chunky Rice is obviously fictional, but I feel the emotions are real and the story draws upon personal experiences. Anyway … I’m just saying, not exactly seeking answers. I’m definitely looking forward to your new book.
Fantastic! Keep at it!
This is great news. I really can not wait for this…
Yay!!! So looking forward to it!
Really looking forward to read Habibi. 🙂
Sweet! Only two short chapters to go. Your dedication is admirable.
Can’t wait for Habibi too. I can feel your excitement about it nearing its completion 🙂 Keep going!
“Marhaban”, Craig.
I’m attending Arabic lessons at university. Arabic calligraphy is so fascinating, I can’t stop writing and writing all the letters, trying to add an artistic shape to the simple meaning. I also like the sound, I think it’s perfect for singing and poetry. So, I guess it really fits with your graphic novels’ style. =)
This summer, “Inshallah”, I’m gonna meet my personal Chunky-Rice. It would be beautiful to take a brand new copy of Habibi with me.
Good work and be fine.
“Ma’a Salama”.
Hi, Craig Thompson! My name is Nicolas Palmer, SCAD SEQART student and I have been reading Blankets and enjoying it very much! Would you have a moment for a five-question interview over email? It is a project due by 1st of next month. If you can’t, i understand. Regardless, Keep up the good work!
I am eagerly anticipating Habibi..You have inspired me to keep a sketch book again and get back to the bliss of drawing from life and memory again..In teaching a drawing class to folks living with mental illness I am also using your books as creative inspiration -thanks for sharing so graciously of yourself with the world..Cheers Heather Murray
Hi Craig
for architectures and perspectives do you still use brushes?
the lines are so straight….